[Lilybean]

Thanks for your reply & ideas. I didn't know that a rock show might have cutting services, plus I thought it would cost a fortune. I can definately afford a few bucks though. I've never investigated a rock show...but I am going to now!

My geode (or possible geode) is quite round, a little granite-looking and definately has a "glint" to it.

Lily

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by Lilybean

Thanks for your reply & ideas. I didn't know that a rock show might have cutting services, plus I thought it would cost a fortune. I can definately afford a few bucks though. I've never investigated a rock show...but I am going to now!

This is a good place to find one near you.
Rock and Gem Magazine

My geode (or possible geode) is quite round, a little granite-looking and definately has a "glint" to it.

Does it feel lighter than it should? If so, you might be correct.
Where did you find it?

[Lilybean]

Oh yes, It's quite a bit lighter than you'd expect it to be. I have a few geodes that I've accumulated from who knows where - and these are split open - and this large round one appears outwardly similar. It's also kind of bumpy and has something of an odd bellyband around it that is a little lighter and the bumps are smaller and closer than the main body on either side. I can't remember where I found it. My head is perpetually down where-ever I go. You can always tell a rockhound - they are always kicking and scruffing in the dirt and bending over every few steps! LOL! I have some egg sized round rocks that might also be geodes. (sorry - no camera) I can't wait for a rock show now. Thanks for the suggestion. I'm getting re-enthused.

[Thunderbird]

Moved from frogs are amazing.
I use a foredom flex shaft power tool. with diamond grinding bits. I will scan some photos of the frogs and get them up as soon as I get time. The fish took two years to carve from one large Montana Moss Agate cobble. I have also done bisons in ruby and jade, birds in quartz crystal, Catfish in white/brown jade.



Colored Stone: the 2008 Gemmy Awards

[Thunderbird]

I don't know how many of you belong to your local gem and mineral club, but when I first started going about 8yrs ago, most of the members were senior citizens. I will be 47 next Monday, anyway I have been noticing a resurgence in the hobby in the last couple of years, particular our last rock swap There were some young people set up booths and eager to learn gem cutting from the old timers like myself and my club members. This was very satisfying to me to see a resurgence in science and the art of rock hounding, also the science channels are showing more and more stuff on geology. Ten years ago there was next to nothing. The travel channel even has the show Cash and Treasures. Anyone catch that show? My main question is.. has anyone noticed the hobbies of rock hounding and lapidary making a come back with a new generation?

[Eclogite]

It is my belief that all but the greatest of field geologists suffer from two conditions when they set out to construct a geological map through careful observation of rock outcrops. These two conditions are the Differential Dilema and the Similarity Syndrome.
Under the influence of the Differential Dilema every rock the geologist examines appears different, even when they are almost adjacent to each other in outcrop and are, infact, the same type.
When the Similarity Syndrome holds sway each specimen appears to be the same, even though they are of radically different kinds.
Alternation of these two conditions leads eventually to insanity and shortly thereafter to graduation.

[Thunderbird]

Originally Posted by Eclogite

It is my belief that all but the greatest of field geologists suffer from two conditions when they set out to construct a geological map through careful observation of rock outcrops. These two conditions are the Differential Dilema and the Similarity Syndrome.
Under the influence of the Differential Dilema every rock the geologist examines appears different, even when they are almost adjacent to each other in outcrop and are, infact, the same type.
When the Similarity Syndrome holds sway each specimen appears to be the same, even though they are of radically different kinds.
Alternation of these two conditions leads eventually to insanity and shortly thereafter to graduation.

I discovered a mineral deposit on my father land 15 yrs ago. The out crops within a 40 acre area were an underlying layer of a high sodium plutonic granite, 1.5 billion yr old, with an over lapping and cross cutting layers of an fine grained porphyry. An erosion unconformity 1 bill.yrs, with an overlying layered beach sandstone. 500 mill.yrs old. Within the cross cutting areas were areas of alteration by hydrothermal and serpentization of the wall rock. In one wash I found chunks of good quality lizardite serpentine embed with highly altered granite and pieces of what look like large chunks of milky quartz, later test showed it to be plagioclase feldspar. Some float where as large as 8-9lbs.
There were also large xyenoliths of plagioclase feldspar embedded in the joints of the granite.

In one area about the size of a swimming pool at the top of the wash the granite became more altered to the point of altering to mariposite, and chunks of serpentine and hematite were found as a conglomerate. signifying a probable mineralized pipe.


I had four different geologist out surveying at different times and not one of them classified the mineralizing event the same way.

But, I think they were all correct because they were just looking at different aspects of the same "elephant"

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

Originally Posted by Lilybean

Thanks for your reply & ideas. I didn't know that a rock show might have cutting services, plus I thought it would cost a fortune. I can definately afford a few bucks though. I've never investigated a rock show...but I am going to now!

My geode (or possible geode) is quite round, a little granite-looking and definately has a "glint" to it.

Lily

What kind of power tools do ya have lying around?

Band saws fitted with fine to medium toothed blades for metal working do a reasonably good job. The key is to let the tool do the work...use just enough (very light) pressure to keep blade and specimen in contact....also you'll need to rig a basin and a small pump (powerheads for aquariums fitted with flexible tubing are perfect for this) to circulate some sort of coolant to prevent blade failure. Plain ol automotive antifreeze works really well.(and can be reused over and over)

My rig uses an old basement wash tub type sink, a $20 pond circulater pump, a bucks worth of tubing, an aerator screen from a faucet (to keep bigger particulate out of the pump) ,and a cheapy band saw which cost me about a hundred bucks...well worth it as I can cut to my hearts content needing only to buy a roughly $20 blade every so often...how often depends on what you cut, how big, how patient you are willing to be (If you are impatient and force it you'll ruin blades pretty darn quick!) ,and how often you cut.

The things to remember are if you buy decent tools and take care of them you almost never have to buy them again... nor do you have to pay someone else to cut for you...Plus it's fun to do it yourself...plus you get the bragging rights not only for finding it but the also for how it turns out! (and also you don't have to waste time and money trying to find someone to cut for you.)

[Thunderbird]

Here are the Frog photos sorry for the delay; Top left..Toad in Green Garnet, Ruby Tree Frog-ruby zoisite-insitu..Center..Bullfrog in Canadian jade...Bottom left Bull Frog in Wyoming Jade...center bottom Toad in Ruby....Leopard frog in Siberian jade.

[Thunderbird]

Ruby carvings; Bison in ruby..Baby Dragon in Ruby... Toad in Ruby.. Back row Hexogonal ruby crystals.